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Barbie Themed Restaurant Opens in Taiwan

Taiwan has opened a Barbie-themed restaurant in Taipei called the
Barbie Cafe, after the US toy company Mattel licensed Taiwanese
restaurant group Sinlaku to build the restaurant around the iconic doll.
As expected, everything inside is pink – chairs are hot pink and
adorned with tutu skirts and red corset lacing, while walls display
Barbie illustrations showing off many stylish outfits. There's even a
life-size Barbie "box" for customers who want to feel like a real-live
doll. Female waitresses are dressed in pink outfits complete with tutus
and tiaras. Male servers are dressed to look like Barbie's long-term
boyfriend, Ken
The menu was created by professional
nutritionists and includes calorie counts for each item. Culinary
choices include hazelnut tiramisu, colorful macaroon cookies served in
martini classes, Philadelphia steak salad, salmon beauty salad, an
ornate Barbie cake and the Barbie 128, a pink beverage named for the
address of the eatery. The Barbie Cafe is the first Barbie-themed restaurant in the world.
We
picked Taiwan because theme restaurants are very popular and successful
here. We are very confident that the Barbie Cafe can promote our brand
image," said Iggy Yip, a senior manager in Mattel's consumer products
division in Greater China.
While some are raving about the new
restaurant, not everyone is pleased. Some women in Taiwan lashed out at
the idea saying it continues to invoke an anti-women image and promotes
the sexualization of Asian women.
Rhiannon Williams, editor of
feminist website The Vagenda Magazine, expressed her adamant distaste
for the Barbie Cafe. “I cannot imagine anything less pleasant and more
nausea-inducing than a Barbie themed restaurant. Not only because I
prefer low-impact environments and none of the major food groups are
pink for a reason, but also because Barbie is an outdated model of
stereotypical femininity and needs to die a death," said Williams.
“I
think this is part of the problem that we women face in Asia,” Jamie
Yo, a 25-year-old recent university graduate, told Bikyanews.com. “I
think the idea of Barbie is inherently anti-women and to have a café is
wrong and perpetuates these myths about women and girls in Asia.”
For
the rest who disagree with Yo and Williams, the Barbie Cafe is at
Zhongxiao East Road, No. 128, Section 4, Taipei District 2.
Checkout some more unusual restaurants.
Barbie doll themed cakes
A waitresses and a waiter walk through the restaurant before the tables fill up
A waitress displays a cup of macaroons.
Waitresses stand at the ready in their Barbie restaurant uniforms
Waitresses wave in front of a Barbie poster
A waitress holds up a menu during the opening ceremony.
Sources: Digital Journal, Telegraph, Bikyanews